Let Me Call You Sweetheart
by sbarra
Summary: When Elizabeth becomes ill, Jack insists on taking her back to Toronto for a month of convalescence. What will the future hold for them? J/E *Complete - please read and review*
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Crown Media and Hallmark own "When Calls the Heart". It is the work of Janette Oke, Michael Landon Jnr, Brian Bird and the cast and crew involved. I am in no way seeking credit or profit for their efforts.

"**Let Me Call You 'Sweetheart'"**

Just weeks after Halley's comet had streaked through the night sky, Coal Valley experienced several nights of rumbling thunderstorms and drenching rain. Some members of the town felt like the dark clouds were here to stay.

Judge Jebediah Black had ruled that there was insufficient evidence to proceed in the inquest into the mining disaster, which had claimed so many fathers, brothers and sons. Henry Gowen's complicity and prior knowledge of the safety violations was still in doubt. After Inspector Bill Avery's forensic samples had been stolen, when henchmen with coal dust on their boots assaulted him, the case lost much of its credibility. The Judge had not cleared Noah Stanton's name, but he had promised to return, as soon as the truth came to light.

Abigail Stanton had been devastated, not least because she had seen the wedding ring and family photograph in Bill Avery's room. Bill felt that her brisk responses to his polite enquiries and her distance from him during meal times was a punishment because he had not yet cleared her late husband's name. She left her doubts about his trustworthiness unspoken. Abigail did not even tell Elizabeth, who had become her dear friend, about the personal items she had seen on his nightstand.

Besides, Elizabeth was aglow and giddy with delight over her courtship with Jack. In the evenings, they often met in the Café, waltzing to a new phonograph cylinder, with songs by 'The Peerless Quartet' like 'Let Me Call You Sweetheart.' It was not the only romantic surprise that Jack had in store for Elizabeth. A moonlit picnic, where her students served them was arranged, particularly when he realised how enraptured she was by the Astronomy unit she was teaching. They spent many happy hours on the hill above the town gazing up at the heavens and into each other's eyes. Elizabeth's class talked about it for days afterwards.

It warmed Abigail's heart to see them both so happy in each other's arms. Rosemary's attention-seeking theatre meetings with Dottie and entertaining rounds at the saloon's piano did not dim the glow of Jack and Elizabeth's love. The extra hours Jack put in to helping Adam Miller and Reverend Anderson to build the frame for the new church and schoolhouse, as well as the pressure Elizabeth put on herself to be the best possible teacher for each of her students, did not seem to weigh them down in the least. Well, until Elizabeth developed a nasty cough.

"It's just the chalk dust," Elizabeth assured Morgan-Rose and Emily when she was coughing and short of breath on Friday afternoon.

"I'll be just fine," Elizabeth had assured Jack after a series of coughing fits during a Saturday stroll.

"It's just a cold," she wheezed the next morning when she saw Abigail off to Sunday School and stayed at home to rest.

Abigail could hear her hacking cough from downstairs when she returned. Cat and Jack were hot on her heels, concerned that Elizabeth was much more ill than she was letting on.

"I took an extra dose of Scott's Emulsion, just like my Mother would want… I shall be just fine…" Elizabeth assured them, before rushing to her bedroom and coughing at length into the washstand basin.

"I'll go for a Company doctor," Jack said worriedly and the two women silently nodded.

Cat tapped on Elizabeth's door and began the job of convincing the young teacher that if she was 'just fine' then the Doctor would tell them all to stop fussing.

Elizabeth's wiped her face on the handkerchief that Mrs Montgomery handed her. She felt quite faint and her chest was sore from all the coughing. Cat encouraged her to sit down and Abigail bustled in carrying the chicken broth she had just finished making. At the older women's cajoling, Elizabeth loosened her corset and pulled on her dressing gown. She was tucked into bed for the first time in years and told to sleep. 

When she awoke, Jack was pacing worriedly while Abigail gently shook her shoulder. The current Company doctor was based out of Lethbridge and charged an arm and a leg to make house calls in Coal Valley, particularly on the Sabbath. This might have been overlooked if his bedside manner did not leave something to be desired.

"Sit up," Doctor Jones ordered gruffly.

Abigail helped Elizabeth up. Jack watched anxiously from the threshold. The doctor checked her temperature, which was high. He looked in her throat, which was red. He asked her a series of questions about sputum, which, blushing she answered in the affirmative. He asked her to cough and an attempt at one led to a coughing fit, which hurt her chest once more. She stumbled over to the basin and spat out more phlegm. To the doctor's surprise, the Mountie who had unceremoniously summoned him, proceeded to rub the young teacher's back, gently holding her loose hair out of the way.

The doctor came over and studied the contents of the basin and clucked his tongue. He then reached into his case for a stethoscope and held it on Elizabeth's aching back, asking her to breathe in and out as he continued his examination. The Mountie turned away as the doctor brought the stethoscope around to the front, listening for the telltale congestion he was searching for. Elizabeth's pained expression and shortness of breath made Jack very worried. He followed the doctor into the corridor, while Abigail helped his love to settle back in the bed.

"She has acute bronchitis," Doctor Jones told the constable, handing Jack a bottle of laudanum. "She will need three doses a day and four week's bed rest. Personally, I've known several city girls to develop these chest infections and then, in a weakened state, they catch pneumonia or become consumptive. She would be better off spending at least a month back East where she can regain her strength." 

Jack did not like the man's tone or the way he had underestimated Elizabeth, but he desperately needed the Doctor's advice, so he held his tongue. "What else would you recommend?"

"Poultices should help to reduce the inflammation. I'm sure that her father will hire a nurse; last time I was dining with Henry Gowen, he mentioned just how wealthy William Thatcher is! I had no idea! Why on earth she would waste her youth in a place like this is beyond me!"

Jack gritted his teeth and showed the Doctor the door with the best manners he could muster. Rather than having to wait for the Doctor's bill, or see him again, he quickly settled the account with crisp banknotes.

"You won't have to rely on a Mountie's salary for long!" Doctor Jones quipped, no doubt thinking himself quite the humourist.

Jack pretended not to hear, shutting the door firmly behind him. As he had thought she would, Elizabeth strongly disliked the suggestion that she should let him escort her back East so that she could recuperate at her parent's well-staffed and affluent home.

Jack tried to be patient, listing all of the people who would take turns to work with the children in her absence, and all of the reasons why she would be better able to serve them when she was no longer sick. Eventually he left, frustration etched into every worried line on his face.

When Elizabeth wasn't much better by the following day, Abigail decided to apply the mustard poultices more regularly to her young friend's aching chest. The widow had just finished with the plasters when Jack arrived.

"Come in," she called when she heard his familiar knock, "come through to Elizabeth's room, Constable. You can convince her to stay in bed and sleep!"

"I don't think that will be necessary," Jack replied, stunning them both.

"Why not?" Elizabeth asked, before coughing into the small bowl that Abigail had handed her. 

"Well, you shall have to tell us what to pack," he replied.

"I am not leaving the North-West," Elizabeth defiantly told him.

"Of course not," Jack replied. "You are merely visiting your family to recover from a serious illness, which, I don't need to remind you as many nasty complications if it's not dealt with at once. Also, it's an infection easily caught by children."

After an hour of arguments, Elizabeth asked, "You won't take 'No' for an answer will you?"

Jack resolutely shook his head, handing her the broth that Abigail had just brought in for her. "Like I said, I have already sent the telegram to your parents. I have arranged a roster of mothers to see to the children's lessons, and Bill Avery has wired my superiors and told them that he will take over my duties while his investigation continues. I've even convinced a couple of the new miners that, if they want to eventually settle here, they should help with Adam's building project. You have no other excuses." 

"Who will look after Rip?" Elizabeth ventured.

"Gabe Montgomery," Jack replied matter-of-factly. "Well, when the rest of the children aren't demanding a turn. That dog will be spoilt-rotten by the time we return."

"You promise me," Elizabeth told him, "that whatever my parents do to try to convince us to settle in Toronto, that you will help me to come back here."

"Of course," Jack saluted her formally, "I promise. Now, help us work out what to pack, Elizabeth. We're wasting time delaying the inevitable like this."

Abigail winked at him, relieved that some of the words from one of her morale-boosting talks had just tumbled out of his mouth. Elizabeth, meanwhile, blew several curls out of her face in frustration and then watched Jack lift one of her portmanteaus onto the end of the bed. Abigail opened the closet and held up garments for her approval. 

"At least this way you will get to meet my folks," Elizabeth reluctantly agreed.

"That's the spirit," Jack smiled, relieved. "You might think of other benefits of resting when you're better."

The next morning, Jack helped Elizabeth into the stagecoach and several women and children gathered at the window to give her the cards that they had made.

"I will be back soon," she kept telling the children held up to farewell her. "Don't get too close, though; I would hate for you to catch my germs!"

In between coughing fits, she smiled and thanked all of the well wishers. Jack eventually finished helping the driver load their luggage and took his seat beside her in the stagecoach. He saw Rosemary dramatically pushing through the crowd merely yelled out a final 'Goodbye' and then did his best to study the coach's interior as they pulled away.

"You're hoping she gets the message, aren't you?" Elizabeth asked quietly after a long silence. 

"Surely she must realise that you are the only one for me," Jack sighed. "I don't know how much more obvious I can make it. If I'm not there for weeks, she will get bored and move on to the next project or performance."

"I don't think you're an easy person to forget, Jack," Elizabeth whispered, looking down into the valley as they bumped along. She couldn't help but take one last look at the frame of the church and schoolhouse, remembering fondly that he had donated his reward money to build for her.

The bumpy ride towards Calgary was uneventful, apart from several coughing fits. Jack felt powerless to help her, but she greatly appreciated his kind words and comforting back rubs. They reached the Inn near the Railroad Station and he made sure she ate what she could of a hearty meal before they were shown up to their separate rooms. He then went to check on their tickets and to make sure that their main luggage would be transferred to the right train. Elizabeth perched on the edge of the bed, taking out a nightdress from her travelling case.

While she was combing out her hair, she heard a tap on the door.

"Elizabeth?" Jack whispered.

She pulled a shawl around her shoulders and walked over to turn the key in the lock.

When Jack saw his the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, his heart leapt into his throat. This meant that his compliment, "You're as pretty as a picture," came out in a hoarse whisper.

"Thank you," Elizabeth blushed as she nervously glanced up at him. "I smell like mustard."

Jack smirked, "You still smell better than Rip!"

She playfully batted at his arm. "Jack!" She giggled and coughed.

He tensed, relieved when she did not have a coughing fit. "I… I just came to say 'Goodnight' and to remind you to take your medicines."

"That's very sweet," Elizabeth smiled at him fondly. "Don't let the bed bugs bite."

"Goodnight, sweetheart," He leant in and gently kissed her, then turned to walk down the corridor. At the end, he pointed to his door and told her to wake him if she needed anything. Elizabeth nodded, feeling giddy and longing for more of his delightful kisses.

Blushing, she closed her door, turned the key and padded over to her bed to read her Bible and ask for God's healing so that she could soon return to her schoolchildren. As she drifted off to sleep, she hummed "Let Me Call You 'Sweetheart'" and dreamed of dancing in Jack's arms:

_I am dreaming Dear of you, day by day  
Dreaming when the skies are blue, When they're gray;  
When the silv'ry moonlight gleams, Still I wander on in dreams,  
In a land of love, it seems, Just with you._

_Let me call you "Sweetheart," I'm in love with you.  
Let me hear you whisper that you love me too.  
Keep the love-light glowing in your eyes so true.  
Let me call you "Sweetheart," I'm in love with you._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Jack hummed as he drew in his sketchbook. Elizabeth dozed beside him. Every now and then, when their eastbound train lurched to a stop at a station, she would awake, have a coughing fit and then, after his ministrations, settle back down to sleep. Jack wrote the song lyrics that he had been humming in the centre of the page he had embellished with a very detailed border of honeysuckle adorned arbours and bees:

"You are my honey, honeysuckle,

I am the bee,

I'd like to sip the honey sweet

From those red lips,

You see I love you dearly, dearly,

And I want you to love me,

You are my honey, honeysuckle,

I am the bee."

The next time Elizabeth seemed anxious about leaving the children to recuperate or the length of the journey, he determined to show it to her and hopefully be graced with her beautiful smile and maybe a kiss or two! When he realised how close they were to Toronto, he blew on the ink and then carefully folded it, placing it inside his pocket for later.

Elizabeth awoke as the train's brakes screeched to a stop at Toronto's prominent and elegant station. She was startled by the noise and smoke, worrying that another series of hacking coughs would plague her. Jack jovially helped her up and guided her across the bustling platform. Her head ached from the angle she had rested her neck on the last leg of the journey.

"Elizabeth!" someone shouted, as she shielded her eyes from the setting sun.

Her father, William, hurried towards them, and embraced her quickly.

"It's so good to see you, my darling! How are you feeling?" William asked.

"Jack has taken good care of me, Daddy," she said fondly linking her arm with her dear father's.

William reached out to shake Constable Thornton's hand while Elizabeth formally introduced them. "My wife and I cannot thank you enough, kind sir. You not only saved Julie and Elizabeth from that blasted Tolliver gang; you have now insisted that my darling girl comes home to recover from this scourge!"

"It has been my pleasure, Mr Thatcher," Jack assured him. "Elizabeth is a treasure and she so rarely admits that she needs help!"

"I do feel a little ill," she told them quietly.

"Well, then, let's get you home. Your mother is fussing over getting your room ready." He called out to his driver who had been waiting nearby and the young man quickly came to see to their luggage. "I got to drive the new automobile Miss Thatcher!" he greeted her with a proud, boyish grin.

"Good for you, Anthony," Elizabeth smiled. She was not at all surprised when Jack insisted on helping with their baggage.

Elizabeth's father patted her hand upon his arm, and they walked out towards the car. William helped her to get comfortable inside. Jack appeared and sat up front so that she could catch up with her father while they made their way through the busy city. Her Daddy told her that she would need to sleep late and stuff herself with Cook's delicacies without lifting a finger to scrub pans or hang washing. It did seem tempting, but she also hoped that her parents would see that she had changed for the better. She would not take any luxuries that she experienced for granted - not when thinking about what some of her students in Coal Valley went without.

Elizabeth looked out the window at the bright red town cars, the women's parasols, the men's suits, the libraries and museums. She watched people chatting as they sat at fine restaurants, sipping tea. She was relieved that she didn't feel 'homesick' for such things. It was amazing how much God had softened her heart and made her pine for His plans to be accomplished in the Northwest.

Jack almost whistled at the vast size of the elegant home they arrived at. Elizabeth could see her mother standing on the front steps with two of their maids, Emma and Tilly. Their butler, Simon, opened the car door for her. Her father picked her up and carried her up the path. Elizabeth gave up on her protests when she saw how much joy it brought her father. Jack chuckled as her expression changed from a pout to a resigned smile. She giggled at the faces he pulled and then had to cough into her handkerchief all the way up the path.

"Good evening, Mother!" Elizabeth said, smiling weakly at her.

Julia tried not to look too alarmed as she kissed her daughter; "It's lovely to have you home, darling."

Elizabeth then made the introductions. Her mother also thanked Jack for his kindnesses to their headstrong girl, but she was more reserved in her manner towards the young constable.

"I'll take her up to bed, Julia. You come in out of this wind," William said quietly.

"Thankyou, Daddy," Elizabeth said quietly as he carried her up to her room, and lay her on her bed. She kept her handkerchief balled up in her hand, worried that her chest would again ache with the pain of another coughing fit.

William sat on the edge of her bed smoothing her hair from her slightly fevered brow. "I love you so much, Beth. Why don't you have a rest? I will spend some showing that charming Mountie around our abode!" he smiled at her, walked to the door and then pulled it closed.

Simon soon tapped on the door, bringing her portmanteau. Emma and Tilly followed him in and the ladies' maids were left to help Elizabeth to change into her nightdress. Emma measured out a dose of laudanum from the bottle that Jack had most solicitously handed to the young maid. Elizabeth could barely remember swallowing the medicine; before she knew it she was asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It took three weeks of medicines and all of the efforts of Jack and her family telling her to rest before Elizabeth began to feel better. She still coughed at times, but she was no longer suffering in the grips of bronchitis. Elizabeth began to pester Jack to arrange their trip back to Coal Valley.

Her mother passed her a glass of milk and the bottle of Scott's Emulsion. "Will you wait until after the Charity Ball, Beth? It is, after all, an event I've been planning to help the children of the Great North-West."

Elizabeth reluctantly agreed and Jack smirked when he saw Julie's barely suppressed joy over keeping Elizabeth 'captive' for another week.

Julie winked at him and then said, "Elizabeth, I do hope that you will have a gentleman to escort you to such a prestigious soiree?"

"Jack will invite me…" Elizabeth said and then saw him smiling mischievously at her sister.

Elizabeth instead busied herself with helping Emma and Tilly to clear the table. Her mother had slowly resigned herself to Elizabeth's desire to help the staff in this way. Her daughter saw it as a way to repay the servant's kindnesses during her illness, and besides, she did not want to be waited on hand and foot, because the opposite would happen when she was back in Coal Valley. There were plenty of people who needed her to serve them.

The Saturday of the Ball dawned and her mother insisted that she indeed wear a fancy, new indigo ball gown that Julie had purchased during Elizabeth's convalescence. She slowly put it on, as Julia left the room to find some jewellery for her daughter.

William knocked on the door, "Elizabeth?"

"Come in, Daddy," she called.

He watched as she struggled with the top buttons, on the back of her dress.

"Let me help you with that, Miss Beth," he said, approaching her, and he fastened them for her.

"Thank you, Daddy," Elizabeth said quietly, a far-away look in her eyes.

"Are you sure you feel up to going tonight, Beth?" William asked his daughter.

"I want Mother to be happy, Daddy," Christy said.

"I know and that is one of the many things I love about you. I want you to be happy, too. What would make you happy?" he asked her.

"I just want to be back with the children and their families," Elizabeth said. "I don't feel like I belong to the world of ball-gowns, satin slippers and ball-rooms."

William smiled proudly, "God has given you a heart for those who will never have such things, Beth, but I want you to remember that it's always okay to visit your Mother's world. Besides, she raises a lot of money for very important causes, darling."

"That's a lovely way to look at it, Daddy," Elizabeth replied.

Jack spun her masterfully around the dance floor. His Mountie dress coat was resplendent in the light from the thousands of candles lighting the ballroom. He admired the way her ball-gown set off her beautiful eyes.

"You're the most beautiful flower in the room," he whispered, his breath warm against her ear.

Elizabeth smiled and blushed, giggling as he spun her around once more, the hundreds of vases of flowers become a colourful blur. The song ended and it was time for her to make the speech her Mother had insisted upon. Elizabeth started off nervously, fumbling with her notes, but then she thought about the children and their hopes for the future.

She gained strength from Jack's steady gaze and encouraging nods and she began to describe the families: their courage despite the mine disaster, their trust in God and their love for one another. Her mother then stepped forward and was announcing the grand total for the evening's fundraising when several ladies and gentlemen pressed forward, clutching Elizabeth's hands warmly and handing her Mother extra checks and bank notes. Jack started a rousing round of applause and rushed out to scoop up Elizabeth in a warm hug. The thousands of dollars they raised would be enough to buy desks, chairs, books and art supplies for the new church-school house they would return to.

To Elizabeth's surprise, Jack dropped down on one knee. At first, Elizabeth thought he had dropped something and blushed scarlet when she realised that he was proposing in front of her loving family and dear childhood friends.

"Elizabeth Thatcher, I love you; may I call you sweetheart every day for the rest of our lives?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed, admiring the simple, yet elegant ring he placed on her trembling ring finger.

The crowd rose to clap once more and Jack planted a rather passionate kiss on her, before the shock wore off and she playfully pushed him away, blushing and giggling.

"Congratulations!" people exclaimed, pushing forwards to shake Jack's hand and embrace her.

Elizabeth knew that the only happier event than arriving back in Coal Valley the next week would be announcing to the children that she would soon be 'Mrs Jack Thornton'!

A/N: Please review.


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